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Ferguson secured the title on Monday after a 3-0 win over Aston Villa, and Hodgson was the latest to add his praise for the veteran United chief.

"It is incredible, the most incredible thing is being able to do it, year after year," he told Sky Sports.

"There is no doubt there is a certain lack of appetite that comes with winning things, it is very difficult to be as hungry for your second title as you were for your first so it must be even harder for your 25th title, or whatever it is if we take all Alex's titles together.

"if we talk about magic in football the only magicians I know are people like Sir Alex Ferguson who year after year keep producing incredible performances from his teams and players and keeps building teams from the ashes of the previous teams."

Roy Hodgson

"And we are talking about someone with incredible ability and an incredible ability to keep himself fresh, just how many teams has he rebuilt? His teams have won 13 league titles and goodness knows how many cups, so there is not much we can say really other than we would all like to know how he does it and we would all like to know the secret.

"And if we talk about magic in football the only magicians I know are people like Sir Alex Ferguson who year after year keep producing incredible performances from his teams and players and keeps building teams from the ashes of the previous teams."

Hodgson was speaking at the National Football Centre, where England's first ever manager has been celebrated.

Hodgson and the centre's chairman David Sheepshanks revealed a new statue of Sir Walter Winterbottom, who would have turned 100 last month.

United legend Sir Bobby Charlton insists thoughts have already turned to retaining their crown next season.

"Alex will already be planning next year," said the 75-year-old. "As soon as we won against Villa, his thoughts will have been on next year.

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"We've got quite a busy tour of Asia and Australia in the summer and then when they come back from that it will be the start of the campaign to win the league again and who is to stop him?"

Ferguson, 71, has flirted with retirement in the past but shows no sign of calling it a day at the moment having clocked up 26 years at Old Trafford.

"He never talks about it and I wouldn't deem to talk about it myself, really," said Charlton.

"What I want is for it to continue the way it is at the moment.

"But we all get older and Alex will get older, the decision will be made and it will be a sensational performance because he has a great talent for winning.

"He wants to win and I think some of the newspapers would love to find out what Alex is going to do with his future. But I can't help you, because I don't know.

"And I don't ask any questions, either, just in case I trigger something!

"But he's been marvellous and everything that Manchester United wanted. He's been a major success and is the greatest manager there's ever been. It's unquestioned.

"But if you wanted to find out when he's going to change and have someone else in command, the only person who will ever give you a proper answer is Alex."